Woman Misgendered by Healthcare for a Decade

A woman claims she was incorrectly identified as male by her doctor for ten years. In several medical records, she is referred to as "male gender." Now, the Discrimination Ombudsman (DO) asserts that the woman has been discriminated against.

Last year, the woman reported the healthcare clinic in Western Sweden to the DO. She had been visiting the clinic regularly for about ten years.

She had recently changed her previous male personal identification number to a female one and was clear about wanting to be referred to with female pronouns.

Despite this, she claims that clinic staff referred to her as male on several occasions over the years.

In the DO's investigation, it was found that the woman was referred to with incorrect pronouns in at least seven different medical records.

Doctor Overstepped Boundaries

The woman alerted the clinic's manager about the treatment she received from a doctor last summer.

The Västra Götaland Region argued that there was no discrimination, as the incidents were "mistakes and unconscious actions" that were corrected and apologized for. However, they acknowledge that the errors indicate a "need for increased competence in the area."

The DO now assesses that the woman was subjected to adverse discrimination.

"The requirement for good care must, in relation to a patient who is transgender, be considered to mean that the patient's gender identity and gender expression should be respected," the DO states in its decision.